One of the most widely used applications on the Internet and a popular means of communication is Instant Messaging (IM). IM has exploded in popularity in the past few years as an alternative to e-mail. It is a quick and efficient way of maintaining regular contact and communicating on a worldwide scale, both for business and personal use.
An instant message is similar to an e-mail message in that it is transmitted via the Internet and may contain formatted or unformatted text. IM differs from ordinary e-mail in the immediacy of the message transmission. The immediacy of the message transmission enables a real time exchange of messages.
IM enables a user to ascertain whether a friend or co-worker is connected to the Internet and whether such a person is available for a messaging ‘session’.
There are presently a large number of protocols available for IM, such as AOL's AIM®, AOL's ICQ® and Microsoft's MSN®. Normally all IM software used in a given messaging session must communicate through the same protocol.
IM applications generally operate in one of two modes: peer-to-peer or client-server. In the peer-to-peer mode, the communicating clients send data directly to each other, without the involvement of an intermediate server. In the client-server mode, the communicating clients send data to each other via a central messaging server.
Typically, once an IM user has provided necessary login information to the client software, the client will begin monitoring previously specified addresses, often known as a BUDDY LIST®. The client may monitor the BUDDY LIST® directly or refer the task to a server. The BUDDY LIST® may be updated in real time, as buddies sign on and sign off. The BUDDY LIST® may be stored on a messaging server, or kept directly by the IM user for peer-to-peer usage.
IM is particularly popular on platforms that can support the client software and messaging protocols. However, thin clients, such as telephones and WAP-enabled cell phones, typically cannot support the client software and messaging protocols required for IM.
Furthermore, thin clients may have difficulty maintaining session information. This is particularly evident on WAP-enabled cell phones on which each WAP request may be communicated on a different WAP server.
The ability to remain actively involved in a session, while being physically remote is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,845 that describes a virtual presence server by which remote users can connect to their offices and various forms of communication, such as fixes, e-mails and telephone calls can be routed to the remote users.